Should I upgrade or start a new build?

UnitedExpress4180

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Jul 19, 2010
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18,640
I built my current PC in mid-2011, but I've done a few major upgrades to it since then, so it's relatively current (right now, an i5 2500k @4.5Ghz, GTX 560 Ti 2GB, 8 GB of 1666MHz RAM, a couple of SSD's, etc). The system does pretty well with most games. I'm able to run Skyrim in 1080p at 60 FPS maxed out, Prepar3D/FSX at 40FPS in 1080p with close to max settings, and so on. All in all it does pretty well on that front, and so far I've struggled to find any games that really push my current CPU. Meanwhile, the GPU, though pretty outdated and not a high-end card, is still getting the job done (as long as I can hold 30 FPS in games I'm generally happy).

That said, I'm starting to look at a system refresh since I've been getting into 3D/CAD work lately, and my texture bake times are pretty long at about 2 hours for high quality work. For entire scenes, I'd like to not have to wait four days for 3DS Max to do its thing (especially since I need this system for school, too. I can't afford that much down time). On top of that, gaming performance is starting to get a little rough. Normally this wouldn't be an issue as I primarily run games that are 3-5 years old, but P3D and a few pre-release games I'm running right now are still getting major updates, so the hardware requirements are changing from underneath me. My question is, given the age of my system, is it still worth upgrading key components, or should I retire it and start over?

I'm not talking upgrading to the latest and greatest, necessarily. Sandy Bridge has served me very well, and as the newer chips haven't produced major improvements over them (and since the new chips would require a new motherboard, which would basically require a total tear-down that I'd prefer to avoid, plus a new copy of Windows since I bought the OEM version), I may stick with that generation for now, or possibly an Ivy Bridge (though since those don't overclock as well, the only reason I'd get an IB is because they are easier to find new). Otherwise, I'm considering a used (please tell me if you think this is a bad idea) 2600k or 2700k, since it's cheaper and those are a known quantity, plus the performance difference between those and newer chips aren't a huge concern for me since any of them will be a lot faster for rendering than my current one. I'm also looking at a used 680 or perhaps even a 770 for gaming. Ideally I'd go for a 980, but I honestly think it'd be overkill for my uses (the highest res I'll ever do with a game is 1440p on an Oculus Rift. Otherwise, I'm good with single-screen 1080p for gaming, and eventually maybe three screens for general work). Again, I'm good with cards from a year or two back since they generally have a good lifespan (by the time they kick the bucket, I'll most certainly have retired this PC), and they'll still be faster than what I have now.

On the other hand, if I instead go for a new system, I'd have to wait so I can save some cash. By then, Intel will be on the verge of Skylake. In other words, a new build won't be until end of 2015 to early 2016. In this case, I'll probably go all-out since I have time to save between now and then. I figure I'll get a six/eight-core i7 cpu, 16 gigs of RAM, a 970 card - or whatever Nvidia releases by then (only one since I don't need the extra power of SLI. Heck, most of the stuff I run can't even use SLI to begin with) - plus a few SSD's and such.

At this point, it's a toss-up between this or a new build because I need some additional power now, not just a year from now, however I can't decide if my current system is still worth upgrading. The one thing that is causing the back and forth is that a new build will allow me to run both systems in tandem, so I can use one for rendering and the other for gaming/school work, and have zero down-time as a result. Only problems are the added cost, and the wait time, but I can't decide which option is best. Any thoughts?
 

melvinmax10

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Dec 26, 2014
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4,510
If you have extra money to spare just upgrade your graphic card and probably your power supply the rest is fine and good to go .. My two cents